Fishing Boat Sinks 3 Rescued 1 missing

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Three people were rescued from the 58-foot fishing vessel Advantage on Friday after it sank south of Kodiak Island, one crewman remained missing, according to a Coast Guard report.

The Coast Guard was alerted when the command center in Juneau received an emergency radio beacon indicating the location of the vessel 14 miles southeast of Kodiak Island.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was launched and crew from Air Station Kodiak to go to the location of the emergency beacon.

The helicopter arrived on scene after the fishing vessel had sunk and just a debris field remained where the Advantage went down.

“It looks like it sank fairly quickly,” said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis. At the time the boat sank, the National Weather Service was forecasting 8-foot seas in the area. The three crewmembers were found in a life raft. None of them was wearing survival suits. They were hoisted to safety at 1:55 a.m. and brought back to Kodiak where they were treated for hypothermia at Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center, she said.

The helicopter with a fresh crew returned to the area of the sinking vessel to look for the missing crewman. By noon Friday, Francis said four searches of the area had been made but there was no sign of the missing crewman.